FLORENCE, AZ: – Local eatery The Irish Cowboy will be hosting a visit from America’s Best Restaurants (ABR) in mid-April 2025.
America’s Best Restaurants, a national media and marketing company focusing on bringing attention to local, independently-owned restaurants, will bring its ABR Roadshow to the restaurant on Monday April 21st. Popular dishes will be highlighted, along with an extensive on-camera interview with owners Kevin and Sabrina Johnston about the restaurant’s special place in the community. The episode will be aired extensively on social media channels at a later date.
Open since March 2023, The Irish Cowboy brings “a taste of Ireland to Main Street Florence”. Sabrina grew up in Ireland and Kevin in Scotland, so their Celtic heritage and hospitality shines through in their from-scratch menu, special events and pub ambience.
The couple moved from Scottsdale with the goal of opening what Sabrina terms a “nice Irish community bar.” They felt that Florence had that vintage cowboy vibe, and although they took a year to renovate the long-vacant building in which The Irish Cowboy is housed, they were intent on bringing an authentic Emerald Isle pub experience to the area.
“I just wanted to replicate my childhood for our son,” Sabrina told the Florence Reminder & Blade-Tribune prior to opening.
Sabrina notes that she spent significant time with the cooks prior to opening to teach them how to cook authentically, from the shepherd’s pie to the homemade soda bread. The popular pub offers an enormous array of whiskeys, beers, Irish cocktails and wine as well as other classics like Irish stew and fish and chips.
“The fish and chips is amazing,” Kevin says.
Other notable dishes are the Irish Poutine, fries topped with shredded corned beef, diced Irish cheddar, and Guinness gravy, and the Irish Reuben Sandwich, corned beef on rye bread with Swiss cheese and sauerkraut.
Above all, the Johnstons want to utilize their episode to showcase the community of Florence.
“We created a community bar, but I think [what’s more important] is recognition for the community themselves and for people to understand where Florence is and what Florence is about,” Kevin says.
“It’s brought the entire community together,” Sabrina continues. “People mix and match and sit at community tables; it’s just a proper little community bar now. Whether you’re single, 21, 91, it really doesn’t make a difference. We’re just a nice family.”
America’s Best Restaurants will be filming on location on Monday April 21st from 9 am to noon MST. The press is invited to attend. The restaurant’s finished episode premiere date will be announced on their Facebook page and will be featured on America’s Best Restaurants’ website.
Restaurants featured on the ABR Roadshow are selected based on their customer reviews, menu items, social media presence, and level of involvement with their community. They are found through customer nominations, internal vetting or by a restaurant applying to be featured at www.americasbestrestaurants.com.
About The Irish Cowboy: Open daily, The Irish Cowboy is located at 305 Main St, Florence AZ 85132. Telephone is (520) 614-6252. For more information visit www.theirishcowboy.com.
About ABR: Headquartered in Florence, KY, America’s Best Restaurants is a national media and restaurant marketing company that travels the country telling the stories and highlighting the unique food of locally owned independent restaurants as part of their ABR Roadshow. Restaurants are featured not only on ABR’s Restaurant Network of social media channels and website, but also each individual establishment’s Facebook page. With over 1800 episodes filmed, America’s Best Restaurants is the premier marketing agency for restaurant owners and operators to have their story broadcast coast-to-coast. Visit AmericasBestRestaurants.com to learn more and to view the episodes and profiles of hundreds of America’s Best Restaurants!
